


Forget Me Not

by FunctionandFamily (thesudokukid)



Series: Forget Me Not [2]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-01
Updated: 2016-04-09
Packaged: 2018-05-30 15:26:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6430021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesudokukid/pseuds/FunctionandFamily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Right now I’m having amnesia and déjà vu at the same time. I think I’ve forgotten this before.” - Steven Wright</p><p>"But I must admit I miss you terribly. The world is too quiet without you nearby." - Lemony Snicket</p><p>Samantha's done all this before but doesn't remember. Something's missing but she doesn't know why. She "knew" Ana would go missing. Like it was part of an endless, eternally repeating pattern that's become more familiar to her than breathing.</p><p>Part of her is missing and Shortstack fills the gap. But he also doesn't. It feels like there needs to be more to him, more to their friendship but there isn't.</p><p>She has a gap that needs filling. And so does a skeleton Underground. That gap gets filled in 9:31 Dragon when Frisk runs away to Ebott and Samantha follows.</p><p>But whether it stays filled depends on how likable and trustworthy Samantha can make herself seem. And whether she can convince everyone that she's worth keeping alive despite her past as a templar and what Maxwell's told them about her.</p><p>Needless to say, she has to say her work cut out for her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. [RESET]

“ _Right now I’m having amnesia and déjà vu at the same time. I think I’ve forgotten this before.”_ \- Steven Wright

**9:20 Dragon**

Samantha's catching on quicker than he thought. She's gotten good at the Game. Too good for Maxwell’s tastes. Mainly because it means one thing.

She’s started to catch onto his manipulation, his gameplaying, his word twisting if she hasn't already. He doesn’t have much longer before he’s forced to drop her from his toolbelt.

***

Samantha can't escape the feeling she’s done all this before.

“Have you ever thought something wasn’t quite right with Maxwell? If you take his words at face value he's the most hated family member living here. Except, and this is the strange thing, no one _seems_ actually to hate him.”

Antastasia stretches, “I wouldn’t trust him if I were you. His head doesn't work like everyone else’s does. He's cold and has no compassion for anyone. Ever. And aside from that, anyone he doesn’t like seems to disappear. Often.”

Samantha bites her lip and nods with a sheepish, embarrased smile.

It fades quickly.

Anna's going to Disappear no matter what she does? Isn't she?

“Hopefully you won’t disappear,” Samantha says finally. “I need you too much.”

Ana’s voice is nothing but reassuring, “You’ll be fine if I Disappear ducky. I know you will. But make plans in case I _do_ end up Disappearing, yeah?”

Ana's voice wavers, “Because I have a feeling that's what's going to happen.”

“I could try talking to Maxwell if you like,” Samantha offers. “Make an attempt at getting him less suspicious and all that. Probably won't work. But it's our best chance, I think. It might not work but it’s our best bet for now.”

Ana sounds like she's given up, “If you want. I'm not going to stop you.”

***

Acting normal with him nearby is almost impossible. Samantha's hands shake at the mere thought of how he might have gotten. Ana to give up. Thinking about it also makes her keep jumping at the slightest noise which means she is utterly _failing_ at keeping calm. Her mind laughs at her. After all, if she can't even handle keeping cool around Maxwell how is she ever supposed to play the Game properly?

Then she notices, and tries not to think about, how Maxwell is standing in the perfect position to jab her with his staff's blade. She blocks that thought out as best she can, notches an arrow, tries again to steady her breathing, and reminds herself she has Ana on her side.

She starts their discussion shortly afterward. She's also careful to keep her tone casual and light, like they're talking about the weather.

“Anastasia told me something interesting yesterday.”

“Tell me,” Maxwell says. It's an order not a request. Looks like Ana was right after all.

She lets him fire off Walking Bomb while she thinks about how to phrase things and then wishes she hadn't. Mostly because he fires Walking Bomb at an errant duck and the poor thing explodes inwardly.

It also splatters its guts all around the training ground. And to make matters worse her boots weren't exempt from the carnage.

She explains the basics of what Ana said while cleaning her boots. Maxwell just keeps firing spells without being safe about it. She can't wait until he goes back to the tower.

“She told me that you couldn’t be trusted. I didn’t believe her but I thought you should know.”

“Smart thinking,” he says. “Any specific details you need me to help you with?”

She shakes her head, “Not really. Besides I don't want to bore you. The details aren't actually all that interesting. She just said that you couldn’t be trusted and that you _might_ be connected to some disappearances? I didn’t really pay much attention. I've heard people say that before. Besides there was a spider in the room and you _know_ how I hate spiders.”

Maxwell laughs, “I think everyone at the estate does. You know they’re not as bad as you make them out to be, don’t you?”

Samantha stands up and puts her boots back on, trying not to scream when she sees a little spider in the grass.

She walks over to her bow and picks up then shivers, “I hate spiders.”

“Duck, I think there's someone here to see you.”

She turns around and _screams._ She does an Evade and does Hail of Harrows while in the air.

She cries and screams while running away from the damned thing and trying to kill it. Which is twelve times harder than it might be otherwise because this spider also _spits Maker-damned_ _ **poison**_ **.**

Eventually she's out of stamina and essentially out of arrows. The spider corners her. She starts staying last rites for herself. Her brother Maxwell Trevelyan is nowhere to be found. And just when she thinks she'll join Uncle Vincent at the Maker's side, someone has mercy. It shrinks. The spider shrinks. She starts moving forward and falls into a faint.

**The Next Morning**

“What happened,” Samantha asks.

“A Giant Spider found its way onto the estate,” their healer says. “You should rest. You only just managed to survive.”

“Why didn't anyone help,” Samantha says. “I called for help. I know I did but no one came. No one...”

She rolls over and tries not to let the anger in her heart burn. Tries to make it so that it directs her towards justice rather than more injustice.

_Then the Maker said:_

_"To you, My second-born, I grant this gift:_

_In your heart shall burn_

_An unquenchable flame_

_All-consuming, and never satisfied._

_From the Fade I crafted you,_

_And to the Fade you shall return_

_Each night in dreams_

_That you may always remember Me."_

Her eyes close and she goes back to sleep.

***

Samantha wakes up to find her sister Katherine sitting next to her infirmary bed. And Ana in the next bed over.

“What happened to Ana,” Samantha asks.

“I won't lie to you dove,” Katherine says. “ Someone poisoned her. We still don't know who it is.”

“You're remembering what happened Uncle Vincent aren't you,” Samantha says. “And how we were never able to bury him?”

“I am,” Katherine says. “Yes. Thankfully it wasn’t poisoned sugar we found in her food but-”

“But what,” Samantha asks.

“That specialty knockout powder Maxwell said he was getting for you, templar-grade? It’s gone and so is he.”

“So he took it with him back to the circle tower,” Samantha says. “He’s planning to make it look like I gave it to him so my reputation will get worse. Fantastic. Absolutely _fantastic_.”

“Maybe not,” Katherine says. “That friend of yours you’ve been writing letters to for the past few months, Shortstack? He’s in the same Circle tower as Maxwell. One of the favorite mages, I’ve heard. And you two seem like you’re good friends so I’d imagine him intervening for you isn’t _completely_ off the table just yet.”

“Maybe,” Samantha says. “But I’d rather keep him out of it, I think. Whether he’ll actually stay out of it or not, that’s a different story altogether.”

***

Samantha spends most of her waking hours watching Ana sleep even after she’s released from the infirmary. She’s not convinced last week’s spider incident was an accident.

Walcott sits down on the chair Katherine vacated an hour ago.

“You should eat something,” he says. “Ana would want you to.”

Samantha starts picking at the meal in front of her but doesn’t actually eat it.

“Did they say what was in Ana’s food yet?”

“Sleeping powder and a hint of poisoned sugar,” Walcott says.

“Poisoned with ant killer,” Samantha asks.

Walcott shakes his head, “Rat poison.”

“Because she told on him.”

“Something like that,” Walcott says. “Yes.”

“Thought so,” Samantha says. “Do we know who put the powder there other than Maxwell?”

“One of the servants took Ana breakfast earlier this morning,” Walcott says. “She said she’d make her own on her way out here to see you but-”

Samantha laughs, “Ana never could resist the thought of a good meal, could she?”

She gets serious again, “It’ll be a shame if that’s what kills her.”

“Your friend from Maxwell’s tower seemed to have a few good ideas,” Walcott says. “Our family’s willing to try them if you are.”

Samantha twists some of the skin on her wrist.

“You can’t possibly be serious about that,” Samantha says. “You’re trusting me with...”

She smiles. Actually, really smiles.

She shakes her head still smiling, “I won’t waste the chance you’ve given me Walcott. I won’t.”

Then she starts asking him for details about Stack’s plan.

She’s handed a sheaf of papers to examine.

This is it. It’s happening. Her family is trusting her. Her family is actually, really trusting her.

This is easily the best day she’s had all week.

Now to examine the notes.

***

There’s someone new in the infirmary soon after she approves of Stack’s ideas and she’s willing to bet due to their age that it’s quite probably, if not definitely, Stack.

Then her heart drops into her stomach, what if their friendship ends now that they’re face to face?

She’s not sure she could bear it.

Shortstack

Shortstack isn’t happy about what happened to Samantha not in the least. He’s even less happy when her family’s apothecary tells him some more specifics about Ana’s situation.

Like how she hasn’t woken up in four days and they still don’t know who’s responsible for her endless sleep.

Or more accurately, they do know, they just can’t do anything about it.

He can’t help feeling a certain amount of pity for Samantha. After all she’s the one who grew up around all this.

He uses a bowl to pour some water down Ana’s throat. At least, he hopes it’s water, anyway.

Someone, a family member, helps Ana get the water down without drowning. It’s clearly not the first time they’ve done it. He’s pretty sure it’s Samantha, maybe. The hands certainly _look_ like they’d be hers anyway.

“Things don't look good for her,” he says gently. “I'm not sure how long she has but I'd say the middle of next week at best if she doesn't wake up. I'm sorry.”

The person (he's still not sure who it is) steps away from Ana and sits down in a chair next to her infimary bed.

They move only when absolutely necessary.

Samantha

Samantha starts writing down future plans for herself immediately. One of the first things on the list is to become a templar or at least warn Ostwick’s circle about what Maxwell did. She’ll be damned if she lets him get away with killing Ana.

Another is to make friends with people outside of her family. Well, not friends, there are no friends to someone who plays the game. Allies then. She’ll have to make alliances.

But who with?

Shortstack

Ana wakes up for a moment while Samantha’s asleep.

Stack goes to wake her up but Ana shakes her head.

“Let her sleep,” Ana says. “I’ll be around for a little longer, I think. But if I’m not... If...look after her for me. Please. I don’t want her to be alone.”

Stack nods, “I’ll take car e of her. I will. Definitely.”

Ana smiles, “Good.”

And then goes back to sleep.

Ana vanishes during the seven minutes he spends in the bathroom. Samantha wakes up screaming. He finds her clutching the left side of her face and bleeding. He does what he can to heal her but Samantha asks him to stop when she’s left with a small, thin scar. It reminds him vaguely of a hairline crack in a vase.

He supposes that’s what it is. Maybe.

If she can manage to let herself heal from the experience.

“Seven minutes of being alone,” Samantha says. “That’s all it took for her to disappear. Seven minutes.”

Stack shrugs, “I hope the Ostwick circle doesn’t make me miserable over this.”

“It’ll be fine,” Samantha says. “It will. I’ll make sure of it. I’m not about to lose the only other friend I have. Not willingly, anyway.”

“So you know who I am then,” he asks.

“Yeah,” she says. “I do.”

“So we’re friends now, right,” Stack asks.

Samantha gives him a sad smile, “You mean we weren’t already?”

He starts to go for a handshake but quickly realizes it’s probably better to give her a hug instead.

Samantha

Samantha lets herself sit there and be held for a moment or two. Ana would want her to accept the comfort, so she’ll take it. Even though she doesn’t think she’s earned it.

“ _It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.”_ \- Rose Kennedy


	2. This Abyss

“ _To hear the phrase "our only hope" always makes one anxious, because it means that if the only hope doesn't work, there is nothing left.”_ \- Lemony Snicket

sans.

Sans gets up feeling hopeless as always. Then he takes a look at the picture of Papyrus on his bedside table. He calls Papyrus.

“hey. how’s it going?”

“SANS PLEASE TELL ME YOU AREN’T ONLY JUST WAKING UP. IT’S NOON-THIRTY, YOU HAVE TO PATROL FOR HUMANS EVERY THREE HOURS, YOU KNOW THIS. NOW TELL ME, WHY ARE YOU WAKING UP SO LATE, DID YOU HAVE ANOTHER NIGHTMARE?”

Sans neatly avoids the question, “didn’t dream.” Liar. “just thought i’d see how my _cool_ little brother was doin’.”

The pun does its job and makes Papyrus play at being annoyed until he answers Sans’ question.

“I’M DOING FINE SANS. BUT YOU WON’T BE IF YOU KEEP SLACKING OFF. THE QUEEN IS COUNTING ON YOU TO PATROL FOR HUMANS AND YOU SAID YOU WOULDN’T DISAPPOINT HER. YOU WOULDN’T WANT TO BE BRANDED SOMEONE WHO LIES TO ROYALTY WOULD YOU?”

“i’m not getting ketchup today am i?”

“NOT FROM ME. I WAS CONSIDERING IT INITIALLY BUT SINCE YOU’VE JUST LOST A STICKER ON YOUR ‘GOOD SKELETON BEHAVIOR’ CHART, I’M AFRAID THERE’LL BE NO KETCHUP TODAY.”

“but i’m a growing skeleton. i need my ketchup.”

“SANS YOU ARE AT LEAST SEVERAL YEARS OLDER THAN I AM. I AM AN ADULT. AND IF I AM ADULT THEN YOU CAN NO LONGER QUALIFY AS A GROWING SKELETON. NOW GO OUT THERE AND GET PATROLLING.”

Papyrus hangs up on him and he laughs all the way to where humans fall underground.

He stops laughing when he sees a human who does _not_ look well. Papyrus will want to see them immediately. Of course he would, he’s a healer.

He’s gotta keep this one from reaching Papyrus. He has to.

He sticks to the shadows and watches as they start to realize what’s happened to them.

They panic and start worrying about someone called “Ducky.”

Fuck. Now he feels like he’s gotta help ‘em.

Damn it.

Undyne’s gonna kick his ass over this, isn’t she?

Samantha

Samantha’s eyes fall on a beggar in the streets. He looks embarrassed about his current predicament. There’s a sign near his feet. It says that their trying to quit lyrium.

She leaves the bookshop she’s standing in and gives him a few coins. It’s the least she can do for his service as a templar.

“Trevelyan, are you?”

She smiles, “Is it that obvious?”

“It’s the eyes. Trevelyans always have those eyes,” he says. “My wife was one. Got killed giving birth to our little girl. I haven’t been the same since then.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Samantha says. “What was her name?”

“My wife? Frisk. Her name was Frisk. Gentlest soul you could ever care to meet. Always kept pushing me to look deeper. Look past the surface and all that. She managed to name our daughter.”

“What’s your daughter’s name?”

“Hope,” he says. “Light of my life that one.”

“Is there anything more I can do to help you. Anything at all?”

“Going into the templar order?”

She nods.

“Do yourself and every other templar a favor. Find out why it’s so damned hard to quit lyrium. You’ll save everyone a lot of pain in the long run.”

“I’ll take that under consideration,” she says. “Thank you.”

“You what?”

“Your suggestion, the one about finding out why it’s hard to quit lyrium. I’m planning on doing it. Goodbye.”

That retired templar will be able to say fourteen years from now that he spoke to the Herald of Andraste before she was the Herald.

Samantha will be able to say twenty-one years from now that her work studying the effects of lyrium helped the commander of her future army beat his addiction. That it made it easier on the whole for any former templar to quit lyrium.

But that is then and this…is now.

(Ana)stasia

“Golly, you seem to be having some problems getting around there buddy,” a voice says. “How’re ya feelin’ this mighty fine day underground?”

“Like I’m gonna die,” Ana says.

“You know there’s a way to make your soul stronger,” it says. “A way to get out of the underground aliive. But you’re probably not interested are you? Especially since you think it means hurting people. So I’ll just be on my way.”

“Wait,” Ana says. “How-How do I make it stronger?”

“LV,” it says. “Lots of it. But I’m guessing smiley trashbag told you it meant Level of Violence huh? He lied. It’s Level of Vitality. ‘Course you still gotta kill people to bring it up but you shouldn’t have a problem with that should ya buddy? I’ll be around if you need me. But not when Smiley Trashbag is, he’s kind of a jerkface if you haven’t noticed.”

A Whimsun approaches her as soon as the voice stops talking to her.

Ana takes a few deep breaths and kicks it with her ballet shoe until all that’s left is dust.

Her body feels stronger but her stomach feels sick.

She forces herself to try not to care. She can’t quite manage it.

Looks like getting back to Ducky is going to be harder than she thought.

sans.

Sans is in the dining room “trying” to solve the stack of crosswords and jumbles Papyrus left for him. He’s really just getting in some shut eye until someone happens to need him for one thing or another.

Then Napstablook comes and wakes him up.

He prays the human didn’t set anything on fire while he was asleep.

It turns out to be worse.

Much worse. She’s been going around killing people. But that’s not the worst part.

The worst part is that they’ve been letting her.

***

“run me through this again,” Sans says. “you said she was killing people and that everyone’s been letting her. why?”

“Well uh, she-she said something about needing to get back home to that “Ducky” person she’s been talking about. That they’d die if she didn’t get home soon and that uh, s-someone told her she could get back sooner if she hurt people.”

“you can’t possibly be-” His head goes back to resting on the table, then he sits back up again.

“what does the human think LV stands for?”

Blook’s hesitant to answer, “Level of Vitality?”

Sans sighs as he gets up, “tell everyone left in the Ruins to avoid the human for now (not that it’ll work) and try to help whoever you can. you’re the only one here they can’t actually kill. i’m gonna go warn Undyne and the rest of the guard.”

“You’re gonna take a shortcut aren’t you,” Blook asks.

“yeah, I am,” Sans says. “now get going. you’ve got lives to save.”

He takes a shortcut and stands vigil outside Papyrus’ garage turned clinic. He calls Undyne and the rest of the guard while he waits.

***

The human walks straight past Papyrus’ clinic and thankfully no one in Snowdin dies. He shortcuts to Waterfall and waits for more murders to start.

There’s one more. Just one.

Someone, Aaron he thinks, manages to deliver the killing blow.

He can’t really say he’s sorry to her them go. But he doesn’t quite enjoy the news the way the others do.

Undyne comes by and gives him a lecture about being too soft on the humans that fall down. Asks what he would have done if she’d managed to kill Papyrus.

He answers that if she’d managed to kill Papyrus the aftermath probably would have dusted him.

Undyne lets him off with a warning.

**20 Bloomingtide, 9:22 Dragon**

**(Samantha)**

Samantha takes the wrapping off her last Templar’s day present.

It’s a necklace that has a pair of corked vials strung onto it.

“I appreciate the gift,” she says slowly. “I have no idea what it is, but I appreciate it nonetheless. However I’d still like to know why I should write in the thank you note so could someone please tell me what it’s supposed to be? Please?”

Her uncle Orlando laughs, “You know you could have just asked right? Today’s _your_ day. And this is you we’re talking about here. You were practically Vincent’s daughter before he died. Were you really _that_ worried about being rude?”

“I have a reputation to uphold,” Samantha says. “Besides I don’t want to leave anyone with bad memories of me.”

“Sure, sure,” Uncle Johnny says. “Whatever helps you sleep on the top floor of that circle tower at night.”

Katherine just rolls her eyes at the happenings, “Just tell her what the vials are.”

Her uncle Toby starts to answer.

“One of them has whatsitcalled anti-poison and the other one’s like some sort of-”

“And the other one’s in case Maxwell the mage tries to poison you with cyanide,” Orlando says.

“We paid to made sure you’d be able take it with you,” Johnny says. “Vincent made sure there’d be money for it in case anything happened.”

“He didn’t really _trust_ your brother,” Toby says. “You understand how it is right?”

Katherine lays a hand on Samantha’s shoulder, “You ready for cheese racing?”

Samantha’s eyes widen, “We’re racing cheese today?”

Katherine nods and Samantha very, very slowly puts on her new necklace and gets up to find her cheese racing notes.

She runs to where she’s keeping them (and gets some odd looks from servants) and comes back to find templars waiting for her.

She puts her cheese racing notes back on the table and follows her new mentors to wherever they’re going. She tries not to look behind her but doesn’t quite manage it.

Looks like cheese racing isn’t happening after all.

“ _Sanctuary... is a word which here means a small, safe place in a troubling world. Like an oasis in a vast desert or an island in a stormy sea._ _”_ \- A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)


End file.
